1. FOUNDATIONS: Early Childhood as a Building Block for Later Learning Professional Learning Camp – P.J. Presentation Sept. 2011

2. Connecting…

3. “That’s Me!” Statement If/when a statement pertains to you, jump up and yell, “That’s me!” Right to pass Source: Tribes Program

4. Quick Elbow Partner Chat… 1. Did this energizer help you feel more or less comfortable in the room? 2. How might you be able to use this activity with Primary or Junior students? 3. Why do you think connection or reconnection activities are important?

5. Today… We’re going to begin with early brain development, and then move to how this impacts the teaching and learning of Primary & Junior students

6. Brain Research Is Meeting Education at a Rapid Pace

7. The Physiology of the Brain

8. The Cerebellum

9. The Brainstem The “Old” or “Reptilian” Brain

10. The Cerebrum - The “New” Brain

11. The Temporal Lobe

12. The Parietal Lobe

13. The Occipital Lobe

14. The Frontal Lobe

15. Quick Elbow Partner Chat… Knowing about the late maturity of the pre-frontal cortex, what implications does this have for our expectations regarding the behaviour of Primary and Junior students?

16. Implications… Limbic system (old brain) matures before pre-frontal cortex Primary and Junior students exhibit… Poor judgment Impulsivity Emotional outbursts Need for structure, routine and guidance

17. The Developing Brain… The Genetic Factor

18. The Developing Brain… The Environmental Factor Experience- expectant learning Experience- dependant learning

19. The Importance of Brain Plasticity and Cortical Complexity Plasticity: brain’s capacity to change Cortical complexity: number of synapses (neuron connections)

20. Understanding Neurons and Neural Pathways … use it or lose it!

21. Temporal lobes Brain stems Healthy Child Neglected Child

22. Other Periods of Significant Brain Development Ages 6 through puberty Most growth in temporal & parietal lobes but some in pre-frontal cortex too Language, spatial relations Optimal period for development of integrative & executive functioning – increased myelination

23. Two Important Areas in Regard to Language Skill Development: Left Hemisphere

24. The Development of Oral Language Skills is Critical Students enter school with varied oral language skills - different neural pathways between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area TV and video gaming should be limited

25. To recap… 1. Basic brain structure 2. Brain development – genetics and environment 3. Importance of neural complexity But, how does the brain learn a new concept or skill?

26. The Cerebrum

27. The Brain’s Hemispheres

28. Learning to Ride a Bike…. 1.2. 3.

29. Quick Small Group Chat… Given what we have learned this morning, let’s imagine this is the first day of school and you are standing in front of your Grade 3/4 class. You have never met any of these students before. What do you already know about these learners? What will you need to consider in your teaching?

30. Learners Arrive in Our Classrooms with Different Brains Genetic factors Environmental factors We have no control over who walks through our doors Children are not all starting at the same developmental point regardless of age/grade Assessment is critical

31. Considerations For Teaching Students need safe learning environments Learning moves from the big picture to the details Learning requires repetition

32. Considerations For Teaching Primary & Junior students need hands on experiences with new concepts Need large blocks of time to be working at and exploring activities & ideas Teachers need to be intentional about the play and hands on experiences they plan for their classrooms

33. Questions/Comments/Reflections

34. Good Luck This Year!